ideas for ventilating the car while parked in the hot sun

[zabe1]

Hey whats up people! this is my first form post. So I apologize in advance if I posted in the wrong place or say things I shouldn't say.

Just bought a 1998 AT Accord EX Sedan in black. While the car looks awesome, it keeps overly hot in socal, and after parking outside in the sun for several hours the hot is very hot. I thought the solution can be to vent the car using a small 2in computer fan hooked up to a 2in solar panel with a cell phone battery and switch, the cell battery is to run it when there is no sun.

I wanted to have a clean install also, so I was thinking of mounting the unit right under the steering wheel panel and cutting out some vent holes. This way, I dont have to leave the windows cracked open for safety reasons, and the air gets sucked out through the front of the car or something.....

This is the part i'm having trouble with is... If its safe to do this? meaning to vent hot air through the front of the car... is there a better solution? Is there a completely different route I can take?

I already know about the autocool, which is the Solar Power Car Fan, form the As seen on TV ads.... the thing that you stick on your window. But i'm not a fan of that because it dosn't work all the time. and I dont want to leave my window exposed, and i want to be able to turn it on and turn it off at anytime without having to remove the device.

Any help would be apperciated!

 

[RedRyder]

You’re talking about cutting a hole in the firewall, right? Problem with that is you would want to have a way of sealing that hole up on the inside so any fumes or heat coming from the engine bay don’t flow into the car. Not to mention noise from the motor and wind, etc.

What about mounting a fan in a piece of wood that’s cut in the shape of one of the rear seat openings when one side of the seat is folded down (preferably the smaller side), with the fan blowing into the trunk? You could run the wiring with a plug at the end and keep the fan assembly in the trunk, then hook it up on really hot days and the heat would exit the trunk like it normally would. It would be more of hassle to have to fold a seat down, put the board in the hole, and plug it in…butt then again you’re not creating the problems mentioned above. If you have an audio system then something like this might not work.

Or, and this would take some engineering, utilize the existing vent system and find a way to use that to blow hot air out of the cabin. Not sure when the vent openings open/shut, etc though so you have some things to deal with there.

Or make it easy on yourself and get some window visors, tint them dark or better yet paint them the same color as the car, then you can leave your windows cracked a little and no one could tell.


No matter what you do, you might need a 2nd battery since this would be operating while you're not using the car.

 

[cmgreensr]

Window visors and tint your windows. Seems a lot easier but I wouldn't go thru the firewall if I were you.

 

[G'sAccord01]

I never thought of this but it sounds like an awesome idea. I like the idea of using the existing venting system the most. Sounds like it has the potential of being the cleanest setup and the most effective.

 

[xci.ed6]

http://m.ebay.com/itm/191096654426?cmd=VIDESC

Ebay widow solar fan

Or use relay norm closed to turn on when ign off.

Some vw's power main hvac fan and switch to 'fresh air' through solar panel mounted to sunroof.

 

[G'sAccord01]

http://m.ebay.com/itm/191096654426?cmd=VIDESC

Ebay widow solar fan

Or use relay norm closed to turn on when ign off.

Some vw's power main hvac fan and switch to 'fresh air' through solar panel mounted to sunroof.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_U2PDlbgZE

Auto cool is fabulous lol

 

[danmccormick87]

Here's my suggestion... Buy the Auto Cool. Next, open it up and upgrade the internal motor to get more air movement. Then, purchase a solar panel kit that's meant to trickle charge your battery. Splice into the Auto Cool wiring system, and wire it up to the Auto Cool. Make sure you use a quick disconnect for the Solar Panel. Then, when exiting the car, place the solar panel either in the front or rear dash, depending on sun location, and hook up to Auto Cool. Viola!!! You now have an upgraded Auto Cool that fixes the motor issues and also allows you to have power to run the system.

 

[cmgreensr]

Does it stay that hot in SoCal? I've only stayed there for one week in my life and maybe it was a chilly week but I thought it was beautiful. Certainly beat this wasteland I'm in.

 

[1017tegra]

Socal is nothing compared to the heat here in az

 

[chaby_91]

Or, and this would take some engineering, utilize the existing vent system and find a way to use that to blow hot air out of the cabin. Not sure when the vent openings open/shut, etc though so you have some things to deal with there.

Put the vent setting on... feet and face and not the recirculate option. Somewhere under this plastic piece is where the cabin air is taken from the outside. I tried to light it up but I couldn't get it with my camera.

Remove the wipers, plastic piece, find the exact intake area and find the best way to fit your fan so it blows the air outside. You'll need a more powerful fan to do this. That small computer fan won't do it.

Or make it easy on yourself and get some window visors, tint them dark or better yet paint them the same color as the car, then you can leave your windows cracked a little and no one could tell.

This is the best option. Much better than cutting holes in your car.

Just bought a 1998 AT Accord EX Sedan in black. While the car looks awesome, it keeps overly hot in socal, and after parking outside in the sun for several hours the hot is very hot. I thought the solution can be to vent the car using a small 2in computer fan hooked up to a 2in solar panel with a cell phone battery and switch, the cell battery is to run it when there is no sun.

Why would you need to run the fan when there is no sun? The air in your car gets hot because of greenhouse effet. Without sun, the air inside is at the same temp as the air outside. You should buy one of these things. This plus a tint will make a huge improvement. You won't need to buy that autocool thing.